"This is... the will of the gods."
Qian Xunji cut off Qian Daoliu and delivered the all-purpose line that had never failed him.
Buzz—
Qian Daoliu, who had been on the verge of flying into a rage just moments ago, heard the five words "the will of the gods" and froze in place as if someone had hit the pause button.
Qian Xunji struck while the iron was hot and activated his Art of Deception 2.0:
"Father, that girl's Martial Souls are the Death and Soul-Devouring Twin Spider Emperors, the most wicked and venomous things under heaven.
"Our Spirit Hall has always stood for light and holiness.
"Last night, the gods bestowed a divine revelation. Though this girl has extraordinary talent, her fate is marked by rebellion and destruction.
"If we force her to stay in Spirit Hall, she will surely become the root of disaster. She might even... bring about Spirit Hall's downfall!"
Qian Daoliu drew in a sharp breath, his gaze beginning to flicker.
To someone who firmly believed in the existence of the mysterious god behind the Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel, Qian Xunji's words were practically an inviolable truth.
"The gods also instructed us," Qian Xunji said, the corner of his mouth curling into a sinister, capitalist smile.
"Since her fate portends disaster, why not send this 'star of calamity' into the heart of our enemies?
"Haven't the Two Great Empires and the Upper Three Sects been making trouble behind our backs all this time?
"Let them fret over her. Let them pour every resource they have into raising her.
"When this ferocious beast grows up, it'll be them who get bitten!"
Silence.
The Elder Hall fell silent once more, but this was nothing like the deathly stillness from before.
Qian Daoliu's old eyes spun in their sockets a few times. The anger on his face receded like a tide, replaced by sudden enlightenment, even a fervent realization.
"So that's how it is... So that's how it is!"
Qian Daoliu slapped his thigh and strode forward excitedly, grabbing Qian Xunji by the shoulders.
"The gods truly see far ahead! What marvelous foresight! I was muddleheaded just now—I failed to grasp the gods' supreme wisdom in borrowing another's blade to kill and diverting disaster toward our enemies!"
"And that's not all."
Qian Daoliu had now completed the entire process of filling in the blanks for himself, his eyes gleaming with cunning.
"If they want to take in this peerless genius with Twin Martial Souls, they'll have to pay a price, won't they?
"We'll use 'conflicting Martial Soul attributes' and 'Spirit Hall doesn't want to hold back a genius' as our excuse, then shake a hefty sum out of a few people."
Watching Qian Daoliu switch seamlessly from an "enraged old man fiercely protecting his own" to a "ruthless middleman" in a single second, Qian Xunji couldn't help giving the old man a mental thumbs-up.
As expected of Spirit Hall's Grand Pontiff. He certainly had the right attitude.
"Father is wise," Qian Xunji said, going along with him.
"This can't wait. The little girl just awakened her Martial Souls, and this is exactly when she needs a vast amount of resources to lay her foundation. I'll write a letter now and have it sent to the major powers by urgent courier."
"Good! Go take care of it!"
"Understood."
Qian Xunji left the Elder Hall. Feeling the breeze against his face, he could no longer suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.
"Ke ke ke..."
Who knew which family was lucky enough...
The genius you've been dreaming of is being delivered right to your door, postage paid, by Spirit Hall.
Are you ready to welcome this Rakshasa God, an old ancestor in the flesh, carrying the memories of a max-level past life and with nothing but revenge and troublemaking on her mind?
I hope your sect's foundation is enough to keep this twin spider chewing for a few years.
Elsewhere, Bibi Dong was sitting in her room, silently plotting how to coax Qian Xunji into taking her as his disciple, when she suddenly shivered for no apparent reason.
"What's going on? Could that beast in human skin, Qian Xunji, already be plotting against me?"
The six-year-old girl warily pulled the quilt around herself, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.
"Whatever scheme you have in mind, Qian Xunji, I, Bibi Dong, will see it through to the end this time around!"
Little did she know that her "good master" had no intention of going through the proper channels with her at all. He had already contacted a courier company and was preparing to ship her out of the province.
Inside Pope Hall,
Qian Xunji held a gold-trimmed quill,
scribbling away on sheet after sheet of parchment bearing Spirit Hall's exclusive seal.
The letters were much the same, with one central message:
Spirit Hall is an organization devoted to love and peace.
We have recently discovered a peerless genius with Innate Full Soul Power.
She has Twin Martial Souls: the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor.
What a pity, though. Her Martial Souls are utterly wicked and poisonous, and clash terribly with Spirit Hall's radiant, righteous Angel light.
To avoid holding back this child's bright future, this Pope is heartbroken to part with her and has decided to put this peerless genius up for "public bidding" among powerful sects and empires across the continent.
Interested parties,
please bring a sincere offer (note: money, resources, Spirit Bones) and come to Spirit City for a discussion as soon as possible.
After writing the final stroke, Qian Xunji blew on the still-wet ink and carefully sealed the letters.
"Guards," Qian Xunji said, tossing several letters to the red-robed cardinal waiting outside the door. "Send them by urgent courier to the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and the royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires."
"Yes!"
Watching the cardinal depart, Qian Xunji stretched contentedly.
That max-level reincarnated Rakshasa God empress, Bibi Dong, was a real hot potato right now.
Tossing this "old ancestor in the flesh" into our enemies' pond would not only earn us an astronomical child-rearing fee, but also plant a thunderbolt capable of destroying the heavens and earth ahead of time.
Let this twin spider, brimming with hatred, wreak havoc on someone else's foundation. When she grew into a ferocious beast and turned on them, he could sit back and watch the tigers fight.
This was what you called reaping both fame and fortune.
Heaven Dou Empire,
Seven Treasure City.
Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's main assembly hall, the atmosphere had grown utterly strange.
Ning Zhen, the current sect master—a middle-aged man with a steady bearing and an imposing air even when calm—stared at the letter from Spirit Hall in his hands with a peculiar expression.
His hands trembled slightly, and the gemstone ring on his finger shimmered with unease.
Two people sat below him in the hall.
On the left sat a burly old man with a face full of flesh. He was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's only Titled Douluo at present: Yuan Lie, a Sect Protecting Douluo at rank ninety-one whose Martial Soul was an Iron-Back Gorilla.
Though he was also called a Titled Douluo, his fighting strength barely qualified him as a gatekeeper in the Titled Douluo circle.
On the right sat a thin, hollow-cheeked middle-aged man: Gu Rong, who was still stuck at rank eighty-two, the Soul Douluo realm.
Standing beside Ning Zhen was a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy.
The boy had handsome features and a refined, gentle air. His fine clothes were spotless. He was Ning Fengzhi, the future sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Sect Master, what the hell did that bastard Qian Xunji put in his letter to make you look so grim?" Yuan Lie, a blunt and hot-tempered man, couldn't help asking in a gruff voice.
Ning Zhen drew a deep breath and slapped the letter down on the table.
"See for yourselves. Spirit Hall says they've found a peerless genius with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls.
"Because her Martial Souls are venomous spiders and their attributes clash with Spirit Hall's, they're now planning to... give her away."
Before you continue